


The Devil's Playground

by AllTrekkedUp



Category: Adam-12
Genre: Drugs, Flashbacks, Gen, Gun Violence, Murder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-14
Updated: 2018-07-14
Packaged: 2019-06-10 11:36:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15290691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllTrekkedUp/pseuds/AllTrekkedUp
Summary: A relaxing day turns bad for Mac.





	1. Chapter 1

This was not how the day was supposed to go, he was supposed to be fishing by now, not bleeding to death on the bread alsie. When William "Mac" MacDonald had entered the store some fifteen minutes earlier he had intended to just grab a few snacks for his trip to the lake, he hadn't expected to turn the corner of an alsie and be shot, just like that. The man who had shot him was now holding a gun on the single cashier, there was no one else in the store unless there was someone in the back, Mac could only pray there was.

The man was young, in his mid to late twenties and looked on Mac wild eyed when he shot him, from what he could hear of the conversation going on at the register he guessed the man was high on drugs. Nothing he said made sense, or maybe Mac was losing focus, the wet blood coming up between his fingers had most of his attention now. His guts burned like fire, the feeling caused his mind to go back to the first time he had ever been shot, he and his training officer had been responding to a call of unknown trouble at a house one afternoon. He remembered it was summer because he had sweated through his uniform, there was a man sitting on the small porch of the house, he had his head down when they first arrived and got out of the car.

"Sir, did you call the police?" Officer Norman Whitley had asked.

"Yes I did," the man had confirmed. He looked up then, Mac recalled the emptiness in his eyes before he pulled a gun out from behind his back and shot them both without warning, giving them no time to pull their own weapons.

Mac had dropped on the spot, feeling a flash of heat in his chest before he passed out. Later he had learned that the man had turned the gun on himself after shooting them and that Whitley had managed to make it back to the car and call for help before going out himself. They had told him that Whitley was DOA when their back up arrived. Mac remembered that that was the first time he ever felt like he was going to die, waking up briefly in the back of an ambulance wondering if he would get to meet the child his wife was bearing him, feeling the way he felt now, like his life was slowly draining away. Fortunately for him and his growing family the wound hadn't been as bad as he thought, but this time he didn't know, this time he was awake and feeling pain with no let up. He couldn't find his voice to say anything, he could only silently.

*********************************************************

*One Hour Before*

Pete Malloy and Jim Reed were going to church. They had received a call of possible shots fired at 'Our Blessed Lady Cathedral', Woods and Wells were rolling with them. Upon arrival they found the front doors flung open as they carefully went inside, what had happened there was right in front of them at the alter.

The report of shots fired had been a true one, laying face down across the alter was the priest, he had been shot in the back of the head and had no doubt died instantly.

"Oh God!" Wells exclaimed, he looked away.

Reed felt sick at the sight. Pete told him to call for detectives and the coroner, he stared at the body a moment more before doing it, it was a sight he would never forget.

They searched the church to make sure the killer wasn't still there though they suspected he had left right after the killing. Once the detectives arrived and got started there wasn't anything more the patrolmen could do.

Pete stared down the street before getting back in the black and white. 

"What is it?" Jim asked quietly.

"I was just thinking that somewhere out there right now, is a murderer. Maybe just down this street. And I want to be the one to get him," Pete said.

*********************************************************

Mac was trying desperately to stay awake, he knew very well that if he went to sleep he might not ever wake up. Looking over to his right at the bottom shelf by his head he saw some bottles of vinegar, he got one and opened it, it seemed like it took forever to get the cap off as he was so weak, he poured a little on his face, the smell was enough to make him gag but the wetness kept his eyes open and he tried to tune his ears to the conversation going on at the cash register. 

"Please! Please just leave! I won't call the cops man I swear!" the cashier begged.

"I told you man, I can't. The devil told me to kill some people, I gotta do what he says. I sold my soul," the man said, his eyes were wide and wild as he looked at the man behind the counter.

"Oh please, please God don't kill me!!" the cashier begged, he was sweating. 

"Don't! Don't say that! Don't mention him man! I hate him! I had to prove to the devil that I do, I killed a father. Like a priest you know? I have been so blissed out ever since I did, the devil is good," the man said. 

The cashier was scared to death, he stared at the marks on the man's arms and then looked back up at his eyes as he laughed and pointed the gun at him.

They heard the police roll up outside and the man looked towards the front windows, when he did the cashier dunked down behind the counter. The man started firing at the police and they returned fire, not very long into the exchange the man fell down, hit, and the two policemen came slowly inside. Jim bend down to the man after kicking his gun away, he was smiling.

"The Devil made me do it," he said, just before passing out.

"That man is crazy! He-he's high on dope! He said he killed a priest!" the cashier said, coming up from his hiding place.

"Did he? Shots were reported here, are you hurt?" Jim asked.

"No. But that guy! Oh my God there is a man shot back there!" the cashier said, he had forgotten almost.

Pete headed back through the store and saw the man laying in his own blood for the second time that day, but this time when he saw who it was his blood ran cold. 

"Mac?!" 

"Pete, I've never...been more happy to see you in my life," Mac muttered weakly.

"You just take it easy, Mac. Help is on the way," Pete assured, he got down on his knees over his boss and friend.

Mac could no longer hang on, he slipped into unconsciousness.


	2. Chapter Two

Pete had ridden with Mac in the ambulance to the hospital, after seeing him laying on the floor of that grocery store he just couldn't leave him. He looked at him as the ambulance soared down the street, he had known Mac a long time, they had been partners back when Pete was a couple of years off probation. Mac had taught him a lot of things, had gotten him out of a scrape or two way back when, they had become close friends while they were partners. And while they didn't always get to pal around like they used to Pete still felt they were close, and feeling that way a part of him felt like he had let Mac down by not being with him when this happened. They had originally planned on going together, but Pete had ended up working that day with plans on joining Mac the following day.

Upon arrival to the hospital Pete knew he had to call Mary, Mac's wife, and let her know what had happened. He went over to a pay phone and dialed the number of her antique shop, expecting her to be there, but then he remembered it was Saturday and she usually didn't open the shop on the weekend so she could spend some time with their two children. So he called the MacDonald home and Mary picked up after two rings, she sounded as if she had been laughing, her voice happy.

"Hello, MacDonald residence," she said.

"Hello, Mary. It's Pete," he said. From the corner of his eye he saw Jim come in.

"Pete! Did you end up getting off afterall?" Mary asked.

"No, no I didn't. Listen..." Pete had made calls similar to this several times, he had even gone to homes and told women their husbands had been killed. He was searching for words here, this was so much harder than any of the other times he had done this.

"Pete?" Mary asked. Her voice had changed, she was alert and fully in the conversation now.

"Mary, Mac has been shot," Pete told her honestly, there was no reason to beat around the bush.

"Oh!" Mary exclaimed. She tried to steady her nerves and her voice when she spoke again. "What happened?" she asked, she could feel herself shaking inside.

"Well, from what we have gathered Mac stopped at the store on his way to the lake. There was a man in the store that was high on drugs, he was either in there when Mac arrived or came in after he did, and he shot Mac in the stomach," Pete explained. 

"How bad is it?" Mary asked.

"I don't know yet. He fell into unconsciousness when we arrived, it looked like he had lost a lot of blood," Pete reported.

"Which hospital?" Mary asked.

"Central Receiving. I can come and get you if you would like," Pete offered.

"No, that's okay. The kids are at my mother's house, I am at home with our neighbor, Maggie, she will take me. Thank you, Pete," Mary said.

"Sure," was all Pete could say. He hung up the phone and looked around for Jim, not seeing him in the main waiting room for the E.R. he looked in the doctor's lounge and saw him sitting at a small table looking down into a cup of coffee.

Pete touched his shoulder and Jim jumped. "Hey, what's up?" he asked.

"Oh, you just startled me," Jim said.

Pete pulled out the seat in front of him and took his coffee out from under his nose and took a sip as he raised his eyebrows at Jim.

Jim looked at him and then past his head at the wall.

"You gonna tell me what's bothering you, partner?" Pete asked in a quiet voice.

"I guess it's just..." Jim seemed to be at a loss of how to say what he was feeling.

"The priest?" Pete asked. He knew, he knew exactly how Jim felt.

"Yeah. And then seeing Mac like that..." Jim trailed off.

"Yeah," Pete said, he turned the cup up and then held it in his hand a moment. They shared a silence for a few minutes.

"All because of dope," Jim commented.

"I wonder what he was shooting. I would like to find the pusher that hooked him," Pete said, there was an edge of anger to his voice.

"Maybe we will," Jim said, hopeful.

"I pray to God somebody does. Come on, Mary will be here soon," Pete said. He downed what was left of the coffee and threw the cup away as they left the lounge.

Some other off duty officers showed up to wait, the news had spread around the station fast, they got there before Mary did. When she got there she sat down beside Pete. 

"I don't suppose there has been any word?" Mary asked. 

"No, I'm sorry," Pete said. 

"Pete, I just can't believe this! Bill wasn't even on duty, why would someone shoot him?!" Mary asked. Her hands were balled into fists on her thighs.

"He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The man was high, he wasn't really after Mac, Mac was just there. I know it doesn't make much sense, it doesn't to me either, but the man is in custody, it is likely he killed someone else before going in that store as well, he will pay for his crimes," Pete said. 

"I'm sorry but that doesn't make me feel much better. What if Bill dies? Then the man will be charged with two killings instead of one, he will go to jail but I won't get my husband back. If Bill dies...I...I don't know..." Mary trailed off, she looked down.

Pete handed her a handkerchief that Walters, not sitting far away, had handed him. He patted her free hand as she wiped her eyes. "Now Mac is tough, he'll make it through this. Why before you know it he'll be working on your honey-do list around the house and be back to work," he reassured.

"He is right, you know," they heard a voice and looked up. The doctor had come out and they hadn't noticed because they were talking. "Are you Mrs. MacDonald?" he asked. He was an older man with white hair and a mustache.

"Yes, yes I am. How is my husband?" Mary asked. 

"He will be alright. We had to remove his spleen, that was what was hit by the bullet, causing internal bleeding. He will need sufficient time to recover, you'll have to take care of him for a little while, but he will make a full recovery and be back to normal before long," the doctor reported.

"Oh thank God! Thank you, doctor," Mary said, sighing in relief.

"You're most welcome. As soon as you can see him we will let you know," the doctor informed. He nodded to all the others present and walked away. 

All the officers sitting there also seemed relieved, a feeling of ease spread around the small group, Brinkman got up and went to a pay phone to tell the news to others.

Pete smiled. "See, I told you everything would be alright," he said. 

Mary nodded, she was overjoyed that her husband would be alright, but she wasn't so sure that that made everything alright.


	3. Chapter 3

Two days had passed since Mac had been shot, Pete had dropped by to check on Mac the day after the shooting but he had been sleeping. On the second day he dropped in around lunch time hoping to find his friend awake, as he walked down the hall after getting off the elevator he passed the nurses station and had nearly gotten to the room when he saw Mary coming out in a hurry, going by him without speaking.

"Mary! Mary come back here!" Pete heard Mac's voice, the sound of it made him smile. He went on to the door and entered without knocking.

"Mary? Oh Pete, it's just you," Mac sighed.

Pete sat down in the chair by the bed. "Well I'm so glad you're happy to see me. I brought you a present and everything," he said with a sarcastic tone, pulling a candy bar out of his pocket and laying it on Mac's lap.

Mac picked it up, he felt it squish under his fingers and gave Pete a look. "God only knows how long this has been in your pocket. I doubt you were thinking about me when you bought it."

"Well I gave it to you didn't I? Whatever happened to not looking a gift horse in the mouth?" Pete asked.

Mac chuckled and laid the melted Hersey bar on the tray by the bed. "The last time you gave me a candy bar we were patrolling together and you bought one to replace the one you had eaten of mine."

"I replaced it, I did the right thing," Pete defended.

"Oh yeah, and you didn't tell me that you had thrown in the back of the unit to melt just as much as this one is and a deuce sat on it, busting it open and staining that seat for life," Mac said.

Pete laughed. "Everybody was always leery of that stain."

They both laughed for a while about that memory and then Pete really looked at Mac, he looked good, and outside of being in the hospital and looking a bit pale you would never know he had a brush with death two days before.

"How are you feeling, Mac?" Pete asked, voice turning more serious. 

Mac took a deep breath. "Sore as hell, tired, but I can't complain too much. My biggest pain right now is Mary," he said, looking past Pete to the door.

"Yeah, I passed her in the hall as I was coming in. She seemed to be in a hurry, what did you do?" Pete asked, he leaned back in his seat. 

"Oh she was talking this foolish nonsense about us moving to a small town where there is less crime," Mac waved his hand as if dismissing such a thought.

"She's just worried about you, Mac," Pete said.

"I know that much, but she's been a policeman's wife for eighteen years. She knows and understands the risks, I don't know why she is having such a bad reaction this time," Mac said. "Well yes she knows the risks of the job, but you weren't on the job this time. She's just upset and frightened right now, not only for you but the kids too I'm sure, knowing that this could happen to them as well," Pete said. "But this kind of thing happens everywhere these days, no place is sheltered away from violence," Mac said. "She knows that. Just give her a little time, she'll come around," Pete said. Mac sighed. "You're right." "You know...I can't help but think that if I had went ahead and gone with you that day that none of this would have happened," Pete said, looking down a moment. "And then what? He would have shot both of us and I could have comfort that you would be my roommate in here? No Pete, don't think like that," Mac said.

Pete was silent a moment, still looking down, he only looked up when he heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," Mac called. 

Jim came in with some flowers in his hand, he smiled at them both. "Well, looks like the gang's all here. I brought you these, I hope you like them," he said. They were yellow dahlias for the most part, mixed with some white carnations.

"Well thanks, Jim. Now that's a real gift, he put some thought into that," Mac said, looking at Pete.

"Oh sure. I bet he put the bouquet together himself," Pete teased.

"Actually Jean picked them out. She said yellow was good to cheer you up and make you feel better," Jim said.

"See," Pete smirked.

"All I see is that you need to get a wife to pick your gifts for you," Mac said.

"I agree," Jim smiled.

"Whoa! Have our days off turned into 'pick on Malloy' days?" Pete asked.

"Well I'll change the subject then," Jim said.

"When marriage comes up I generally do," Pete said.

"Well I wanted to come and see how you are doing, Mac. But I also wanted to tell you that the man who shot you, Hank Watts, is dead," Jim said. 

"Dead? What happened?" Mac asked.

"Well when he finally came down from his high they told him what he had done and he couldn't believe it. He got depressed about it and I heard this morning that they found him in his cell, he hung himself with a sheet," Jim explained. 

"Wow," Pete said quietly.

After a few moments Jim asked how Mac was and they talked a little before Mary returned, tears in her eyes.

"Bill?" she asked, she slightly smiled at Jim and Pete.

"Oh Mary. Come here," Mac said.

Pete and Jim quietly left as Mary went to hug her husband.

"Everything is going to be alright," Mac assured.

THE END.


End file.
